Reclaiming My Taxes: Tax Free Weekends are on the Horizon

If you’re a fan of politics or keep up with social media, you may be aware of a recent procedural interruption that has now gone viral. “RECLAIMING MY TIME” are the three words Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) used when confronting Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin during a House Financial Services Committee hearing last Thursday--we've included footage of the hearing at the end of this blog for you to watch if you haven't seen it already. 

The simple yet catchy refrain, “reclaiming my time,” a phrase rooted in House floor procedure, has become a social media sensation, sweeping the internet and highlighting Representative Waters stern ways of handling business. 

While Rep. Waters has recently been reclaiming her time, taxpayers can also plan to reclaim their taxes! Several states have a Tax Free Weekend coming up soon in which taxpayers could benefit from greatly. 

Each year a number of states participate in an annual Sales Tax Holiday/Tax-Free Weekend, allowing various items in stores across the country to be purchased without any local or state sales tax being charged, saving shoppers millions of dollars during the holiday weekend. During these tax free weekends, shoppers pay no sales tax on items ranging from school supplies, dorm room and home supplies, clothing and shoes, to bookbags and computers. However, items such as jewelry, cosmetics, eyewear, furniture, and any layaway purchases are not exempt from taxes. 

Upcoming Tax Free Weekends

State	Dates	Eligible Items / Max Cost
Arkansas	August 5 - 6	School supplies: No limit Clothing: $100 Clothing accessories and equipment: $50
Connecticut	August 20 - 26	Clothing and footwear: $100
Florida	August 4 - 6	School supplies: $15 Clothing: $60
Iowa	August 4 - 5	Clothing and footwear: $100
Maryland	August 13 - 19	Clothing and footwear: $100
*Massachusetts	TBD	Clothing and footwear: $100
Missouri	August 4 - 6	Clothing: $100 School supplies: $50 Computer software: $350 Computers: $1,500 Computer peripherals: $1,500 Graphing calculators: $150
New Mexico	August 4 - 6	School supplies: $30 Clothing: $100 Computers: $1,000 Computer equipment: $500
Ohio	August 4 - 6	Clothing: $75 School supplies: $20 School instructional material: $20
Oklahoma	August 4 - 6	Clothing: $100
South Carolina	August 4 - 6	Clothing and accessories: No limit School supplies: No limit Computers and accessories: No limit Bed and bath items: No limit
Texas	August 11 - 13	Clothing and footwear: $100 Backpacks: $100 School supplies: $100
Virginia	August 4 - 6	Clothing and footwear: $100 School supplies: $20

Whether you’re preparing to wrap up those summer vacations and send the kids back to school with great tax-free school supplies, or just want a couple of new items and appliances for around the house, be sure to catch all of the great deals offered during your state tax-free weekend. 

As always, ExpressTaxExempt is here to be a consistent resource for all things tax exempt! Visit our website for any tax forms that your tax-exempt organization may need throughout this year and save even more when you e-file with our recently reduced filing rates! We’re available to assist you via phone at 704.839.2321 on Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST or reach out to us 24/7 via email at support@ExpressTaxExempt.com. 

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E-File Form 990-N (e-Postcard) for Tax Exempt Organization return with Express990

Filing Form 990 is a long and difficult process, so the IRS developed a form to make it a little easier for smaller tax-exempt organizations. Enter the e-Postcard: a form specially made for tax-exempt organizations grossing less than $50,000 a year in gross receipts. So what makes this form more convenient than a regular 990 or 990-EZ? The key to the form’s simplicity is the fact that it only contains eight parts:

• - An Employer or Entity Identification Number (EIN), also known as a Tax ID Number, or TIN.
• - The tax year for which the organization is filling.
• - The legal name and address of the organization.
• - All of the different names the organization operates under.
• - The name and address of a principal officer of the organization, such as a president, vice president, etc.
• - The website of the organization, if one is available.
• - A confirmation that the organization had gross receipts of $50,000 or less during the year.
• - A statement if the organization is going out of business.

If that doesn’t seem easy enough, Express990 has made it even easier. We offer a step by step walk through that seems more like a conversation than a tax filing. Once you create an account, you will have immediate access to filing Form 990-N and with a couple clicks of the mouse, you’ll be done and back to doing the things that are most important to you. 

Did we mention that filing your 990-N with us is FREE?
That’s right, filing for your current year with us is not only easy, but it’s free as well. Need to file for your prior year? We’ve got you covered there, too. It’s only $9.90 to file for a past year and we even offer discounted pricing for CPAs.

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Introducing Express990

It is with great fanfare and excitement that we announce our newest addition to the ExpressTaxZone family: Express990. With Express990, tax-exempt organizations can easily and quickly file their Forms 990, 990-EZ, 990-N, or 990-PF. We are currently offering free filing for current tax year, Form 990-N (the e-Postcard) - it’s easy and will only take you less than 5 minutes from start to finish.

More about the form(s) provided by Express990:

• Form 990-N (e-Postcard) is an annual IRS E-filing requirement for small non-profit organizations and charities that make $50,000 or less a year in gross receipts.

Coming Soon to Express990:

• Form 990 - (Long form of 990) is the form that tax-exempt organizations use to report income, expenses, and other company information to the IRS. It is typically used by organizations with gross receipts in total of $200,000 and $500,000 of assets.

• Form 990-EZ - (short form of 990) is the form that tax-exempt organizations use to report income, expenses, and other company information to the IRS. It is used by organizations with gross receipts totaling less than $200,000 or total assets of less than $500,000.

If you’re always on the go, you can easily access our mobile site, m.expresstaxexempt.com from your mobile device and start filing IRS Form 990-N anywhere at any time. Or if time just isn’t on your side you can file an automatic extension of up to 6 months with our sister product, ExpressExtension.com. The entire process is simple and the easy-to-follow prompts will guide you through the entire process.

Need a little help?
 Our US-based support team located in Rock Hill, South Carolina is always available to help make your filing process as simple and easy as possible. You can reach us by phone at 803.514.5155 or by email at support@expresstaxexempt.com with any questions you might have.

So the biggest question is: what are you waiting for? File with Express990 and get back to doing what you love.

Express990 - filing your taxes has never felt so good.

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